Soldering-machine.



Patnted May 22, |9011,

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(No Model.)

No. 650,289. Patented May 22, |900. C. S. WINSOR & 0. E. J. SMITH.

SOLDER-ING MACHINE.

(Applicatin filed Dec. 14, 1899.) A

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Model.)

No. 650,289 x Patented May 22, |900. C. S. WINSOR & 0. E. J. SMITH. SLDERING MACHINE.

. (Application filed Dec. 14, 1899.) s

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

UNITE-D STATES PATENT OFFICE, A.

CHARLES s. WINSOR AND OTTO E. J. SMITH, on SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA,

ASSIGNORS TO ROBERT D. I-IUME, OF GOLD BEACH, OREGON.

sOLoERlNG-MAOHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,289, dated May 22, ieoo.

I Application filed December 14, 1899. Serial No. 740,347. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES S. WINsOR and OTTO E. J. SMITH, citizens of the United States,residin g at San Francisco,in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Soldering-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for soldering the side seams of sheet metal canbodies.

The object of the invention is to do away with the use of solder-wire and with mechanism for feeding and cutting the same. By using a. reservoir of melted solder instead of Such Wire a reduction is obtained in the cost of Soldering and at the same time a greater speed in operation can bensed.

1n the following description and in the accompanying drawings the invention is embodied in an apparatus which comprises a solder-pot in which solder is melted andwhich is elevated above the horn or other support along which the can-bodies are propelled. The soldering-pot is provided with an automatically-acting feed and cut-off bymeans of which a regulated quantity of solder is supplied either to the seam or to a soldering-iron in contact with which the same is moved along. The device as shown and described is supposed to be used in connection with such a machine as is illustrated in the patent to Robert D. I-Iume fora can-solderin g machine, No. 640,186, dated December 26, 1899. In this patent is shown a horn, beneath which is a soldering-iron, and which is provided with a slot or passage through which small pieces of solder-wire are delivered to the upper edge` of the iron and thence transferred to the seam which is presented on the lower side of the horn.v Used with suchaconstrnction the present apparatus drops melted solder through such a slot in the horn upon the upper edge of such an iron. With an apparatus in which the seam'is presented upon the upper side of the horn the device herein described .would drop melted solder directly upon such seam.

For a full comprehension of the invention as herein described reference must be made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of our appa- Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section,- of

the horn and certain parts coperating therewith. Fig. 4 is a detail cross-sectional view of the horn through the hopper therein, Showing a can thereon in position to be soldered. Fig. 5 is a cross-section through the solderpot and the hopper in the horn. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through the same. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view.

1 represents the horn of a cross-section corresponding to that of the can-bodies, upon which such can-bodies are propelled along. The bodies are complete, except that their side seams are not soldered. To any suitable stationary structure, such as the standard 2, is secured a solder-pot 3, which is preferably of a downwardly-tapering shape, as shown, so as to form a contracted bottom. The projecting lip 4 inthe edge of the pot is to make it convenientto remove dust from the surface of lthe melted solder in the pot.

The solder-pot is elevated, so as to be supported directly above the horn. It is heated and solder melted within it by any suitable arrangement of gas pipes and burners, such as those shown at 5 and 6. In the bottom of the pot is an outlet-Opening 7 for melted solder, which escapes when permitted to do so by an automatic cut-O and feed, which we now describe. A pin 8, secured to the pot or its supporting standard, is a pivot upon which is mounted a 'movable plate or cut-OE 9, which extends beneath and across the bottom of the pot and projects beyond it. This plate has a hole 10, which is of proper size to supply the right amount of solder for a side seam. The cut-o 9 is held upagainst the bottom of the solder-pot and is also guided in its movement by a lower plate 11 beneath it. Thelatter is supported by the flanges 12 upon' the arms 13, pivoted to the standard 2 and having a tension-spring 14 connected to their rear end andto some fixed part of the machine structure. This construction keeps plate 1l forced constantly up against the. cut- O and holds the latter always In posItIon and tight in spite 'of any expansion or contrac-A tioncaused by changes of temperature and so prevents leakage of solder. A hole 15 is IOO 55 Y f Y adjustably secured the clamps 26 27.

e v 650,289 v mede in the plete 11, .which is in une with the vertical hopper or passage 16, which extends through vthe horn and beneath'which'is the Soldering bar or iron 17. If the feed de-` vice is to drop solder upon the side seam, vof course the passage 16 would not be used, since the sidel seam will Vbe above the hornin that case and some other arrangement oiV sol-- dering-iron Will be used adapted to an upwardly-presented seam. The construction of horn and soldering-iron shown in the draw, ings is intended to be in substantial accordance withthe construction shown in the said patent of R. D. Hume forasioldering-machine, No. 640,136; but the elevated solder-.potfor holding a body of melted solder and the cut-oi` and, feed may evidently be. adapted to other types of soldering-machines. We prefer tol make the hopper 16 of metal to which sol'-` der will noty adhere, tapering to a narrow outlet at the bottom' and inserted and held in a vcorrespondingly-shaped slot in the horn; but

such? a slot can be used without an independentlyconstructed'l hopper, although as .the-

horn isrhollow it is better to avoid any chances ofthe solder missing the' bottom sloty bypro` vidi'ng a confined passage for such solder, which will insure its reaching the edge ofthe iron. The preferred construction of thishoppercjoiisistsV of a block 18 cast with tapering hole or passage- 19 and securedV within the horn in any suitable way. Beneath is aI loose block` 20having a tapering passage 21 through it, theupperend of which is wider than the discharge end of passage 19 and acts as a funnel to receive solder from thev latter.v VThe part 20 vcan rest upon the sol-.

. t 4o p hopper-not only delivered to exactly the right'V deringsi'ron, until raise'dby the oncoming can striking its curved or` inclined lower 'edgev 22. The melted solder is by this movable point? on'the iron, but is also confined to;

that point and Lprevented from spreading by the wallsof passage 21. The solder-feed isv automatically put in operation by thepcanbodies'passing along the horn, but is operated by a reciprocating rod 23, deriving its motion from the operating mechanism. A convenient way vof driving this lrod is toconnect it to the brackets Y24, which operate' the can-body carriers. or propelling devices by motion` de.-

rivedfrom a reciprocating sidebar 25, con-y nected itoa driving-shaft. These connections are not shown in detail, as it is assumed that the rod 23 recipljocates. Upon this rod are The cut-oli 9 carries atits free end a pivoted dog 28,5which is capable of being moved toward the horn in position to be struck by the clamp 26. 'This movement is produced by the on-y coming can-body29 through a trigger 30".` The trigger is an angular lever pivoted atits anshown atv 32.

gleto a bracket 31 of the main standard, as' The heel 33 of this lever. en-y gages: the under side of a laterally-extending pin'34 on'the dog 28,'and theother end 35 acts i theback stroke of rod 23 (during which'the thatamount.

. der-pot;

thereof. y end thereof opposite the, crank-arm 141, is a support the latter.v

the horn and there rests with its pointed eX# tremity 37 projecting above the horn toward the feed end of the machine. Thecan-body, catching under this extremity, lifts the triglger ont of the slot and passes beneath it, closing the slot temporarily, so that the trigger cannot resume its Vnormal position until .the can has^completely passed. As theV trigger is thrown upthe dog' 28 drops down into the path of the clamp 26 and is struck by the latter, moving the cut-oft' plate. The melted solder which is in the hole of the cut-od is carried with the cut-od until said hole 10 registers with the hole in plate ll, through which the solder -falls toits destination, which with the construction shown is the upper edge of thesoldering-bar beneath the horn. VOn

can-body is at rest) the toe 38 on the clamp 27 strikes the cut-off and returns it tonorinal position in readiness to receive more solder from the melting-pot. The triggerY falls back tol normal position by gravity and restores the dog 2S to its normal uprai'sed position.

is to supply only the exact, quantity of solder The action of the automatic Acut-01T 9 -for a seam at each feeding action, and this is accomplished by making. the hole 10 -in the cut-off slide of the proper'size to receive just The cu t-off, being alwaysheld up closely against the solder-pot, permits no leakage,y excepting when the hole 1Q in the cut-oit registers withthe outlet'? from the sol- 'lhe reciprocating side bar 25 'is formed p with a cam 39 thereon, which is adapted to engage a roller 40, mounted in one end of a crank-.arm 41 on a rock-'shaft 42, extending transversely of the horn 1 on thev under side Securedto said rock-shaft, on the gages. a pin or projection 45 on the underside ofthe soldering ironor bar 17 and serves to The cam 3.9 on the reciproc-ating bar 25 is so disposed that when the can-body 29 reaches a point between the-soldering-iron 17 and the movable block 2O of V the hopper 16 it will engage the rolle'rf40 and rock-shaft 42 and through' the pins 44 and 45.

Vbeing of course understood that it is spread throughout the length thereof by reason of Hthe longitudinalmovement ot' said can-body.

Theoperation of spreading the solder upon the seam is performed by the soldering-ironl as the can'movesin contact with it, but forms vno part of thepresent invention. lSuch operationV in a machine of the type'shown is fully described in the patent to Robert D.

A A l .Hume, previously referred to., as ah weight and ynormal-ly entersa slot136win' The 'twoj parts 18, and 2Oy of :the hopper 16 vare secured in the horn 1 by the f'rictional engagement of the outer inclined Walls of said blocks With the innersuraces of the inclined plates 46, secured in said horn. By this construction separate connecting means are dispensed with. The blocks are securely held in position, but may be removed when desired by simply tapping the same. These blocks, as stated, are constructed of a material to which the melted solder will not adhere, so that all of the charge delivered by the cut-off 9 through the opening 15 will drop upon the iron 17, through which it is applied to the moving can-bodies. The lower block 20 is formed on its under side with a groove or channel 49, which receives the projection on the inner surface of the can-body formed by the bend made to create the seam.

We have illustrated in the drawings gas or vapor fuel supply pipes `50 50 on opposite sides of the iron 17, the same being provided with discharge-orifices for the purpose of forcing a jet of flame against the opposite sides of the iron 17. Both the solder-pot 3, therefore, and the soldering-iron 17 are heated. As the solder is supplied to the iron 17 in a molten condition, it is not necessary that said iron should be heated to such a high degree as if it were necessary to melt the solder thereby, as is the case when strips of solder- Wire are supplied to the iron. The danger of overheating the parts, therefore, including the horn 1, is reduced to a minimum and the speed of operation is greatly facilitated.

The advantages of the present construction lie mainly in the fact that the use of solderwire, together with mechanism for holding, cutting, and feeding it, is dispensed with. A gas-supply being always furnished for heating a tank or a soldering-iron, to which cut solder is fed, it is perfectly practicable to furnish gas heat to a solder-pot above the can mechanism and supply melted solder in the first place. This being done by the described apparatus in regulated quantity and without leakage, there results a considerable saving in the expense of operation of soldering-machines. In 'addition it is evidently practicable to run the machines at somewhathigher speed when melted solder is originallysupplied, as Wire-solder delivered to an iron or to a can-seam requires an appreciable time for melting, which must be taken into consideration in running the machine.

This invention is not limited to details of construction and arrangement herein described and shown in the drawings, as it is desired to obtain the benefits of such modifications and equivalents as fall properly within the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described our invention, whatwe claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Inasolderingmachine,a support for canbodies along which such can bodies are moved, in combination with an elevated solder-pot, means for heating such pot, and a transversely-movable feed and cut-off device for supplying regulated quantities of melted solder from such pot.

2. In a solderingsmachinegi support for canbodies along which such can bodies are moved, in combination with an elevated solder-pot, means for heating the same, a transversely-movable feed and cuto device, means for operating such device, and means operated by the passage of a can-body for enabling such device to be operated.

3. In 'a soldering-machine, a horn having a vertical passage through it, a soldering-iron beneath the same, an elevated solder-pot having heating means, an automatic feed and cut-od for alternately feeding and holding back the solder, and means for discharging such solder through the passage in the horn and upon the said iron.

4. In a soldering-machine, a horn, an elevated solder-pot having an outlet-opening, a

cut-oil' slide having an opening adapted to register with the outlet insaid pot, a guide-VA plate beneath said cut-o having a solderoutlet, and means for moving the cut-off-with the -solder confined in the hole in said cut-olf, and causing said hole to register with the outlet in the said guide-plate.

5. In a soldering-machine, a solder-pot, a'

cut-off beneath said solder-pot, a plate beneath said cut-off, means for pressing said plate constantly against said cut-off, discharge-openings in said pot and said plate, and a hole in said cut-olf adapted to register alternately with said discharge-openings.

6. In a soldering-machine, the combination with a horn along which can-bodies are propelled, of an elevated pot for containing melted solder, a feeding and cnt-oit device,

a movable bar for operating said device in opposite directions, a dog on said device normally out of the path of movement of said bar, and meansoperated by a moving canbody for placing said dog in the path of movement of said bar.

7. In a soldering-machine, the combination with a horn along which can-bodies are moved, of an elevated pot for melted solder, a movable cut-off, a movable bar for operating said lever and a slot in the horn in which the end of said trigger-lever normally rests; whereby the moving can, striking said trigger-lever,

IOO

IIO

places said dog in position to be struck and moved by said bar.

9. In a soldering-machine, a solder-pot, a

clit-off slide, a guide-plate for said sliide,a pivoted support `for 'said' guide-plate and a springvfor forcing it against said guide-plate, the said pot, slide and guide-plate `being -provided'with solder holes or passages.

*10. In a solderingmaehine, the'eombination with the solder-pot, of a slidin g eut-0E,-V

a guide-plate` between which and the vbottomofthe pot said eut-0E is conned, and sprin gaetuated levers bearing against said gu'ideplate.k Y A j Il.r In asoldeiing-maehine, a slotted horn, `in combination with a solder guide or hopper held loosely therein, substantially asrand forI the Vvpurposes set forth. H12. In a soldering-maehine,'a slotted horn,V a soldering-iron beneath it, and a solder guide -orhoppervheldloosely in the horn andadapted to rest normally upon said iron. f

f 113. Ina soldering-machine, aslotted horn, `a solder guide or hopper therein, `comprising axed and a loose member having -register- :ing passages for solder,land means for'supplying solder to said hopper.

14:.' In a soldering-machine, the combination with ahorn, of a solder guide or hopper, comprising a fixed'member hav-ing a'tapering passage, and a movable member having a' tapering passage whose inlet is' wider than 'the outlet from the fixed member;

In testimonywhereof We have hereiinto set our hands' inpresenee of two subseribingwif:L

nesses. i I CHARLES S. WINSOR, Y OTTO E. J. SMITH. Witnesses:

JOHN R. SMITH, JOHN MAXWELL. 

